A well-structured warm-up is essential for preparing your body for intense training or racing. The goal is to gradually elevate heart rate, improve blood circulation, and loosen muscles and joints, setting the stage for better performance and injury prevention.

Every session should begin with 10–20 minutes of light Zone 1 movement—such as easy jogging. For easy sessions, this is often sufficient. However, if your workout includes intense intervals or race efforts, you should incorporate additional dynamic stretching, drills, and strides to fully activate your muscles and optimize biomechanics.

Additionally, performing drills and strides after select Zone 2 runs can enhance neuromuscular efficiency, improving form and turnover over time.

Below is a video covering the full Working Triathlete warm-up routine, including dynamic stretching, drills, and strides, to ensure you’re primed for optimal performance.

Dynamic Stretching

After 10–20 minutes of light activity, further loosen your muscles and joints with a dynamic stretching routine. The goal is to gently stretch each muscle for a short period, briefly relax, and then stretch again, promoting mobility and activation. Unlike static stretching, dynamic stretching is proven to be more effective at activating muscles, enhancing joint mobility, improving performance, and reducing injury risk.

A good dynamic stretching routine includes:

-Quad Stretch: 1:35

-Hamstring Stretch: 2:22

-Knee-to-chest: 2:53

-Leg Sweeps: 3:32

-Leg Swings: 4:15

-Calf Stretch: 5:08

Drills

After completing dynamic stretching, move on to drills, which serve three key purposes:

  1. Loosen muscles to enhance flexibility and reduce the risk of injury.

  2. Activate the neuromuscular system, priming your body for faster running.

  3. Reinforce proper running mechanics, ensuring that efficient movement patterns carry over into your stride.

All drills should be dynamic and performed with a focus on good form. Throughout each drill, maintain an upright posture, drive your arms forward and backward (avoiding lateral movement), and stay light and controlled to promote efficient biomechanics.  

A good drill routine includes:

-High Knees: 5:54

-Butt Kicks: 6:23

-Skips: 6:58

-Karaoke: 7:49

-Quick Step: 8:23

Strides

Strides are short accelerations lasting 10–20 seconds, where you gradually build from a slow jog to just below sprint pace. The focus is on smooth, controlled speed while maintaining proper form:

  • Run tall with shoulders back and head up

  • Land efficiently on your forefoot

  • Drive your arms forward and back

  • Lift your knees with quick, light strides

Strides are crucial in any warm-up, as they prime the body for faster running by activating the neuromuscular system. However, they’re not just for race prep—strides should be done 1–2 times per week year-round to reinforce proper mechanics and maintain turnover.

Even in the base phase, strides should be incorporated after select Zone 2 runs to keep the body familiar with speed. Before hard Zone 4/5 workouts and races, strides are non-negotiable—they are an essential part of peak performance preparation.